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Summary List of stories Phase I Day: Honor, Duty, And Family << chapter 9 Chapter 10 of 75 Unhappy Landings chapter 11 >> << previous scene Scene 2 of 2 next scene >> Location Participants Time Summary Prologue | Phase I | Phase II | Epilogue 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 Text They reached Watershed after another five hours of travel, due to being slowed here and there by the shifting sands. But in the shadow of the mountains, sand finally became gravel, and then rocky, hardened earth that formed a natural path between two jutting cliffs. Where the rocky path ended, Watershed began, marked by the rotting fencing and the single flickering lamppost. The ground here was scraggy and weed-riddled, and the village was composed of rickety old wooden buildings that were badly mended here and there with mismatched boards ripped from other homes and the decaying ruins of wagons that rested here and there amidst the rubble. They passed an old, rotting stone well, and the one building in town that seemed like it was doing well: unsurprisingly, it was the tavern. Unfriendly-looking ponies were lounging on the front deck, dressed in rugged clothes, and a minotaur stood by the doors, keeping a grim eye on things. Enormous, bipedal, but with his horns shorn down, he had the same air about him as the ponies did: the sense of someone who'd lost their conscience and their path long ago. They also saw a Zebra or two, and some other figures that could be Diamond Dogs or Nibelung, but it was hard to say: they scurried quickly into the safety of the dark alleys the moment Luna began to look their way. Watershed was by no means a large village, and Luna grimaced in disgust as they continued through, muttering aside to Scrivener as they passed through a town square decorated only with the ruins of an ancient, vine-covered fountain: "This is neither a good nor safe place, Scrivy. I would rather make camp outside this place than find a spot to rest inside this village." Scrivener nodded slowly, looking back and forth with a grimace as they made their way through the small village, following a dirt highway that stretched out into the reedy plains beyond. As they passed through the outskirts of Watershed, the two looked slowly back and forth, taking in the strange and thin crops, the rickety farmhouses, the ponies that worked here and there beneath the eternal red skies. Finally, Luna gestured moodily at a farmhouse on their right, saying quietly: "Let us stop here, ask if we may camp in their field. I shall attempt to be diplomatic instead of threatening, worry not... I wish to stay safe. Mostly because I do not think Odin will take kindly if this wagon is damaged and I do not desire to be lectured by the old cyclops." Scrivener nodded slowly as they turned down the driveway, but no sooner had they begun to approach than an earth pony pushed the door open, loading a crossbow as she sat back on her haunches and shouted anxiously: "We don't want no trouble, hear? So why don't you just get back on that road and get out of here?" "Well, this is an even nicer place than I had thought." Luna said moodily as she and Scrivener came to a halt, and then she grouchily rose her front hooves and said clearly: "We only desire to find a safe place to spend the next few nights, or at least a safe place to store our wagon. Watershed struck me as... unpleasant." "Strikes most folks as unpleasant." the mare with the crossbow muttered, half-aiming at them and wincing a little before she said uneasily: "I... my brothers are just out in the field, I'll have you know, and Pa ain't far away, either..." "My husband and I aren't here to cause a quarrel or ruckus, again. We mean no harm." Luna said quietly, shaking her head briefly as she gave a small smile. "We are merely passing through. We simply need a place to rest for a little while, we shan't even come near thy house without permission. We just wish to set up in the field yonder." Luna gestured carefully towards the weedy, empty plains past the falling-apart barn, and the mare grimaced a little, her eyes flicking apprehensively towards this structure. The winged unicorn followed her gaze curiously, and then the mare asked abruptly, as she lowered the crossbow: "What's your names?" "I am Luna Brynhild. This is my husband, Scrivener Blooms." Luna replied gently, and she smiled, flicking her ephemeral mane as she surveyed the mare: she had a light green coat and a pretty chestnut mane that fell back in several tangled braids, her cutie mark a simple leafy tree. "May we approach?" The earth pony mare nodded hesitantly, smiling... then squeaking when the crossbow went off with a twang, but the rusted bolt only bounced loudly off the deck as she dropped the weapon and skittered sideways. Luna and Scrivener traded winces, and then the mare cleared her throat and looked up with a blush. "Sorry. My name's Leafy Greene. My family and I grow... herbs and roots and well... whatever will take in the soil here." Scrivy and Luna nodded as they made their way carefully forwards, approaching the deck as Greene picked up the crossbow and bolt and put them aside on a worn-down rocking chair, the mare smiling a little as she surveyed them curiously. "You look almost like rich folk, with that fancy armor and that fancy coach you're pulling... you're big, too. I ain't never seen an earth pony as big as you, mister, or... any kind of pony at all like you, miss." Scrivener and Luna traded smiles, then the winged unicorn nodded, saying kindly: "We have... had years of both good fortune and treacherous adventure, and both have had their rewards. Perhaps we can put our strengths to use for thee, aid thee with any work that needs to be done around the farm in return for letting us stay here." "I'll talk to Pa about it." Greene smiled a little, and the two ponies nodded before the earth pony mare blushed and hurried off the deck, gesturing to them quickly. "I'd invite you both in but... again, I should really talk to Pa, first. Can't be too careful in these parts, sadly enough... this lawless little island is a haven for all kinds of criminals and not-nice types. Me, I wish I could move to Equestria, but... it's the other side of the world. Foolish ancestors hopped on the boat after they discovered Evening Isle, but... ain't always sunny here, it's dusk. Listen to me, though, rambling away..." Greene laughed a little, looking anxiously towards the sallow crops, and Luna's eyes roved towards them, then over the brambles and weeds, the way the crops of strange-looking plants were planted in uneven rows. Scrivener picked up on it as well... and as they continued past a garden on one side of the barn filled with withering fruit, the charcoal stallion asked casually: "Your brothers, what field are they in? I mean, Luna and I don't want to get in the way..." "Oh, they're... they'll be along." Greene said hurriedly, shaking her head a bit as she smiled over at him, her eyes glimmering a little. "My brothers and Pa will be along, I'm sure you'll meet them sooner or later." Scrivener and Luna remained silent, the only sound coming from the rumbling of the wagon as they headed out into the field before Greene halted, looking slowly over the trees. Trees that had gone wild, were withering slowly, hadn't been tended to in forever... and yet here and there, fruit still struggled to grow over their branches, as Greene closed her eyes and whispered: "Never rains out here no more. So few Pegasi able to tend to the weather... all we get is the runoff from those nasty, crazy storms formed by the Storm Coatl in the desert. Coatl, they're like flying snakes, and the ones in the desert like making storms to hide in 'til the clouds burst and rain. Pa and my big brother used to set up these nets to catch them, but... they don't anymore. They're... too busy. Harvest season." She halted abruptly, then smiled at them both, nodding a few times. "I'll let you know what Pa and my brothers have to say later. I'll try and bring you out some food, but... well, there's no real dinnertime or anything around here. See, it's always dusk... so you just eat when you're hungry, scrounge out whatever you can get. The earth don't like us none here... I heard that in Equestria, though, there's green grass, and blue skies, and there's real princesses. Ain't that funny to think about? Real princesses, like a fairy tale." Luna smiled faintly, nodding slowly as Scrivener gazed quietly at Greene, then the viridian earth pony smiled at them in return before she nodded once, saying quietly: "You come knock on the door if you need anything." "Thank you, Leafy Greene." Luna said softly, and the earth pony mare smiled at them before she turned and hurried away, taking a wide detour around the barn. The two ponies looked silently after her, and then Luna asked quietly: "How long ago does thou think it was?" "Six months, at least. Poor kid." Scrivener said quietly, glancing over his shoulder at the tree. "Maybe years, though... she looked so pale, and those crops have all been growing wild for quite some time. It looks like she's at least been trying to fix the garden but..." "Well, we shall aid her. Help fix her crops if we can, and more importantly help fix the poor creature's mind." Luna said firmly, nodding once, and then she frowned a bit when Scrivener Blooms gave her a silent, sad smile. "What is it?" Scrivener only shook his head slowly, saying softly: "I don't think it's just that she really wants her family back, Luna. I think it's probably because... well, look at this place. Ugly, unsafe. I bet if some of those ponies from town knew that she was all alone out here, that her family was... gone, whatever happened to them..." Luna grimaced at this thought, nodding moodily as she looked towards the barn. "Aye. Well, we have been dragged into another adventure, Scrivener Blooms. But we should strive to make the most of things... again, though, I wonder why Odin dropped us here, of all places. Was it miscalculation? Or did the Norns intervene, and have decided to give us some role to play here?" "I thought you hated the Norns." Scrivener remarked mildly, turning his eyes away, and Luna gave a slight smile as she glanced over at him with entertainment, the male cocking his head curiously and looking towards her even as he began to quickly unharness himself. "'Tis not that I hate them or like them, Scrivy. 'Tis that we are simply... two forces at odds. I, who must always be in control of mine own destiny... and they, who write our stories, and work to determine what must happen and when." Luna replied quietly, nodding calmly before she smiled slightly over at Scrivener Blooms. "But that does not mean I do not appreciate the twists and turns now and again, or when they point us in the right direction. And strangely enough, Scrivener Blooms, with all that is currently going on in our lives... this feels like the right direction." "That's what scares me." Scrivener replied softly, and Luna nodded in slow agreement at this thought as she followed him around to the back of the wagon so they could set up camp, both pondering on what exactly was yet to come in this strange and alien place. Category:Transcript Category:Story